Mode of progressing with a pile-driving machine by the aid of shifting



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIJAH P. vWILLIAMS, OF UTICA, NEW' YORK.

MODE OF PROGRESSING WITH A PILE-DRIVING MIACHINE BY THE AID OF SHIFTING WHEELS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 1,253, dated July 22, 1839.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ELIJAH P. WILLIAMS, of Utica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented a new and useful mode of progressing with a machine for driving piles for the construction of railroads, piers, locks, docks, or other structures containing a continuous row of piles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and eXact description thereof.

The purpose of my invention is to enable me to give to the pile driving machine a progressive motion by causing it to be sustained by the piles themselves, without the aid ot string pieces, or of cross ties, but l simply by the aid of shifting wheels, revolving on suit-able axles, and so constructed as that they may be shipped from the head of one pile to that of another, as the work advances; the pile driving machine having, on its under side, suitable rails, or ways, affixed along it, at such distance apart as that they may bear upon the above named wheels, and that the machine may be advanced thereon as the work proceeds. A grading saw, or saws, of any suitable kind, is to be employed to cut ott the piles as the work proceeds, and then to prepare them tor the reception ot the shifting wheels.

It is not necessary to represent the pile machine, as I do not intend herein to claim any improvement in that part of the apparatus.

In the accompanying drawing Figure l represents a number of piles A, A, A, upon which the machine is to be supported, they having upon them the shifting wheels B, B. I? ig. 2 shows one of these shifting wheels separate from the piles. This wheel runs on gudgeons sustained in the standards, or cheeks, a, a, attached to its bottom plate which plate is made tlat on its under side, and has points, or spikes, c, c, projecting from it, which are to be driven into the top of the graded pile, to hold it in place; or spikes may be driven through holes made in the plate for that purpose. By means of this device the driving machine may be advanced to any required distance, and the piles, also, may be driven at any desired distance apart from each other; thus aording an opporstunity of varying their distances, when necessary for the avoiding of stumps, or trom any other cause.

In driving piles for railroads I use two pile machines cn the same carriage, correspending with the distances for the rails; and the carriage as it advances is sustained by the shifting wheels on two rows of piles, the side Atlanches of the wheels serving as guides laterally; but when piles are to be driven in single rows, as tor locks, docks, &c., while I proceed upon the same principle, I modify the shifting wheels and ways so as to adapt them to this purpose. I, in this case, usually make the shitting wheels with a proliecting iillet, or lianeh around their middles, and allow this to pass into a groove, or opening between two rails, or ways, as shown in F ig. 3, where B, is the shifting wheel, d, d, the flank, and e, e, a section otl the rails; or there may be lanches at each end, embracing a single rail between them. The pile machine is, in this case, to be sustained by guy ropes.

that I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The employment of the shifting wheels made and operating substantially in the manner described, or the purpose of sustaining and advancing a pile driving machine, without the use of cross, or other, ties, the piles being successively driven and cut ott to the proper grade: for the purpose of grading I intend to use any kind of saw, or saws, which I may deem suitable, not intending to confine myselt` to any particular manner ot constructing this part of the apparatus.

ELIJAH P. VILLIAMS.

lllitnesses THos. P. Jonas, JACOB KLEIBER. 

